


Billy's Girl

by Mira



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-05
Updated: 2010-01-05
Packaged: 2017-10-05 21:04:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira/pseuds/Mira





	Billy's Girl

"Billy's girlfriend is pretty," Elijah says, tossing a hacky sack from hand to hand.

Dom nods but doesn't raise his eyes from his book.

"Very pretty," Sean shouts back; he's in the kitchen, putting together a salad. He's still on a diet, still trying to lose Sam's weight, so when it's his turn to cook, it's always salad.

Dom nods again. Elijah throws the hacky sack at him, hitting the book hard enough to knock it into Dom's chest. "Cunt," Dom says. "Always needing attention paid."

"As it should be to me," Elijah says, but then, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be such a kid."

"I know," Dom reassures him, and gently tosses him the hacky sack. "But be good just till after dinner. Then we'll do something."

Elijah sighs. Dom reads. Sean sings under his breath.

"She really is pretty," Elijah murmurs, closing his eyes but continuing to toss the sack. "I like her hair."

"Changes color every week," Dom says.

"So does yours."

"That it does," he agrees good-naturedly; he's blond this week. "I think I'm gonna try Dana Scully red next time. You should go blue."

"Blue would be very very cool," Elijah agrees, pausing to imagine it. "Or maybe just streaks of blue."

"Streaks? Did you spill something?" Sean asks. He walks into the room wiping his hands on a small towel.

"His brains," Dom says, and Elijah tosses the hacky sack at him again. This time Dom catches in and puts it between his legs.

"Dinner," Sean says. "Do you want to eat in the kitchen or out here?"

"Kitchen," Dom says. "Get up, Doodle. And leave the fucking hacky sack in here."

Elijah looks sour, but complies, turning away from where the hacky sack tempts him.

They sit, mounding salad onto their plates. Dom and Elijah help themselves to hot rolls and butter; Sean looks longingly at the steaming basket, but doesn't take any.

"You made enough for an army," Dom notices.

Sean hesitates, and then says, "I didn't know if they'd eat with us."

"They?"

"Billy," Sean clarifies. "And his girlfriend." Elijah begins to toss a roll back and forth, the way he had the hacky sack. "Don't play with your food, honey," Sean tells him. Elijah drops his head dramatically and sighs, but puts the roll back on his plate and picks up his fork.

"Don't call me 'honey,' Sean; you sound like my mom. And he's _always_ with her."

"Who's with your mom?"

Elijah emits a high-pitched whine. "No one's with my mom, Sean. _Billy's_ always with his _girlfriend_."

"Jealous?" Dom asks, stuffing salad into his mouth.

"Not as much as you are."

"Boys," Sean says, but he puts down his fork and looks sad.

Elijah puts down his fork. "I wish Billy wasn't going back to Scotland."

Dom puts down his fork.

"Beer," Sean says after a moment, and he brings three bottles from the fridge.

"Lots of beer," Dom mutters, and drinks a third of his down. "American piss," he adds, checking the label.

Elijah pushes the bottle in small circles until Sean lays his hand over Elijah's, wrapping around the bottle. Neither man speaks, and after a moment, Sean removes his hand and begins to eat his salad.

After dinner, Dom and Elijah do dishes. "Maybe we should go out," Sean suggests from where he lounges at the kitchen table. "I could drive. Be the designated driver."

"Don't wanna," Elijah says, staring at his reflection in the window over the sink.

"Wash, Doodle," Dom says, nudging Elijah with his elbow. "Don't got nothin' to dry."

"All done."

Sean rises to put his arms around Elijah, linking his hands over Elijah's belly. "I'll finish up," he says, and Elijah leans back. They stand quietly, staring at their reflections. Dom leans his head against Sean's shoulder and Elijah puts his arm around Dom's waist. The house is very quiet; the only sound is the ticking of the soap bubbles as they pop in the sink.

"We should put some music on," Dom finally says, lifting his head. "Metal?"

"Oh, god, no," Sean groans. He releases Elijah. "Jazz, please."

"No," Elijah says firmly. "The blues."

Dom puts his arms around Elijah's neck and tries to draw him close, but Elijah wiggles away, pinballing off Sean and out into the living room to root through the piles of CDs. Dom and Sean look at each other. Sean says, "Go on. I'll finish here." Dom squeezes his elbow and then follows Elijah.

The phone rings just as Sean is leaving the kitchen. He grabs the wall phone by the doorway. "Billy!" he cries out, and Dom and Elijah look up. "No, it's okay. We're fine. Yeah, we know. Early fucking flight. No, we'll be here. No, really; it's okay. We want you to. Really, Billy. Okay. At four. Yeah. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." He listens in silence for a long time, and then quietly says, "We love you, too. Bye."

When he hangs up the phone, he says, "Billy won't be over tonight. They'll stop by on their way to the airport tomorrow. Four fucking a.m."

Elijah looks intently at the CD case in his hand, neck muscles corded tightly, his fingers curling painfully into the sharp plastic edges. Dom freezes, and then turns and walks into his bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. No light is visible under the door.

Sean takes the CD from Elijah's hand, and Elijah falls against Sean, who wraps his arms around him, hanging on tight, tight, tight.

They decide to stay up. "Why go to bed?" Elijah asks Sean, who shrugs. Dom remains hidden. Around one, Sean says quietly to Elijah, "Should we get him?"

Elijah shakes his head. "Maybe he's asleep." But they know he is not. He is alone, in the dark. Elijah is trying to read Dom's book; Sean is surfing the internet, reading reviews of the three Rings movies at the Rotten Tomatoes website.

At two, they sit together on the couch, lights out, music playing softly. Sean's had his way and they're listening to Sarah McLachlan, whom Elijah professes to despise, but the music is poignant, nearly painful, and its irritating sweetness pleases him, though he periodically makes snuffling noises of contempt.

At two thirty they're asleep, Elijah snoring softly into Sean's chest, both stretched out on the couch, Sean's jacket pulled over their feet. The heater kicks on.

A little before four, the front door opens, and Billy and Billy's girlfriend are there.

Elijah wakes instantly; he can do that, fall asleep and wake in the blink of an eye. Sean says it's youth that lets him, but Elijah says anyone could if they just wanted to enough. It's a favorite argument of theirs, but this morning he doesn't start it, just gently shakes Sean awake. They stand, stretching and wiping their eyes.

It's still dark out, and cold air rushes in through the open door. Billy stands at the threshold, looking in, his girlfriend just behind him. The streetlight gleams over his shoulder, an urban moon observing. "Good mornin', boys," he says, smiling; his teeth gleam in the dark.

"Come in," Sean tells him.

"Shut the door; it's cold," Elijah scolds, rubbing his arms. Sean drapes his jacket around Elijah's shoulders; it's far too big for him.

Billy and his girlfriend step inside. No one turns on any lights; if Billy or his girlfriend find this strange, neither mentions it. "So," he says. "Only a few minutes."

Elijah opens his mouth, but Sean puts his hand on Elijah's shoulder and he closes it.

"We're glad you came," Sean says, and moves to embrace Billy. He drops his head and sighs heavily into Billy's neck. Billy holds him firmly.

Elijah walks slowly over to them and stands so his arm touches Sean, who immediately releases Billy and rubs his eyes. Billy hugs Elijah a moment before Elijah hugs him back. "Don't go, don't go," he whispers, barely audible; only Billy can really hear him, but Sean still knows what he says. Billy squeezes him tightly in reply.

"Where's Dom?" Billy asks when Elijah steps back.

"Right here," Dom answers, and walks to Billy. Sean and Elijah back away a bit, Sean's hand on Elijah's shoulder. Dom and Billy stare at each other and then, suddenly, Dom bends his knees, shoves his shoulder into Billy's stomach, and lifts him into a fireman's carry. "Dom!" Billy cries, but Dom pivots and carries him out of the living room, down the hall, and into his bedroom, kicking the door shut with his heel.

"Lock the door," he says, bending his knees again so Billy can reach the knob. Billy silently obeys.

Dom carries Billy to his messy bed and gently lowers him into it, and then spreads himself on top of him. "Dom, we can't," Billy says, but a tear falls from Dom's face onto Billy's and he stops. Dom holds himself above Billy, resting his weight on his hands, with his knees on either side of Billy's hips. They stare into each other's eyes.

"You've been alone most of your life," Dom says quietly, almost hoarsely. "You lost so much so young. You want to replace what you lost. You want a wife and children, and you want those children to have everything you did not. You want stability, and security, and safety. You want to be accepted as part of a community. You want everything that I can't give you."

"Dom, please," Billy says, but his voice breaks, and he bites his lip. His breathing is jerky, loud in the silence of the night.

"It's okay," Dom tells him. "I know. I know you. I understand you. It's just the way it is. The Zen of Billy."

"Dom," Billy tries to say, but his voice is gone and he only mouths the word. The two men lie there, in the warm Dom-scented bed, eyes wide, breathing heavily.

The pulse beats in Billy's temple; Dom can see it in what light seeps past his curtains. He studies Billy face more carefully than he ever studied a script: the hair; the eyebrows; the eyes, wide and wet; the nose, a little wet, too; and the mouth, open as Billy pants. Dom is lying completely on him now and he's heavy; he is heavy with wanting and a disappointment so profound that it's like gravity gone wrong.

"I'm not asking you to stay. I understand, Bill. I really, really do," Dom finally says, nearly gasping.

"Fuck you, Dom," Billy says, and a tear rolls out of his eye, glittering. Dom leans down and licks it, salty, bitter. He kisses Billy's temple, where his pulse throbs so strongly, and each eyelid, soft as a moth's wing, and then he kisses Billy's mouth, chastely, a chaste farewell.

"Fuck me, Billy," Dom agrees sadly. He rolls off Billy and lies on his side, watching him. "Goodbye," he whispers. Billy puts his hand over his mouth, takes a deep rasping breath, and raises himself onto his elbows, looking down at Dom. Then he leans over and kisses Dom unchastely, open mouthed, and their kiss is a bitter abortion, an ending, a death. Then he leaves the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

For minutes Dom lies there, staring at the door. Then he shifts so he lies on his back. He tries to close his eyes, but they burn. His head hurts. He puts his hand over his mouth, the way Billy did, and tastes Billy's skin. He can hear nothing of what might be happening in the front room, nothing of Billy at all.

The door opens but Dom doesn't look at it. The bed creaks, and Sean curls onto his side, putting a hand on Dom's stomach. Elijah crawls over both of them, getting his knees in uncomfortable places, and lies on the other side of Dom, so that Dom is surrounded by his friends. Elijah twines his fingers through Sean's, and after a few painful heartbeats, Dom rests his hand on top of theirs.

Billy and his girlfriend are flying back to Scotland.

* * *

Posted May 30, 2007


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